The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Some cool concerts today in Madison, Spring Green and Green Lake could bring temporary relief from the Great Heat Wave of 2012.

By Jacob Stockinger

Summer certainly is here now — with a vengeance.

And today, Sunday, is July 1, looks to be yet another day in the Great Heat Wave of 2012.

But it also a day filled with great music.

This post will serve less as a story or critique than as a reminder of some wonderful live concerts that could bring you some relief from the heat.

This afternoon at 2:30 pm. and again at 6:30 p.m., the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society of Madison will close out 21^st annual summer season – themed as “Mixology” — by performing the program “Kir Royale” (with Couperin, Haydn and Schubert) and “Old-Fashioned” (with Stravinsky, Couperin and Brahms) at the Hillside Theater (below) at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin compound in Spring and Green.

(I heard the same terrific programs at the Stoughton Opera House and the Overture Center’s Playhouse on Friday and Saturday nights, and they were stupendous.)

Here is a link to information:

http://www.bachdancinganddynamite.org/schedule.html

Also this afternoon — at 4:30 p.m. (with a pre-concert lecture at 4 p.m.) at Farley’s House of Pianos on Madison’s far west side near West Towne — the duo-pianists Stanislava Varshavski and Diana Shapiro (below top) will perform a two-piano program on matched Steinway Centennial concert grand pianos from 1877 and 1879. The latter is the piano (below bottom) that has been restored by Farley’s for the historic Villa Louis for the Wisconsin State Historical Society.

The program features Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for Two Piano, and the pianists’ own arrangement of Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” plus  Ravel’s “Rhapsodie espagnole.” Tickets are $30.

Last week, I wrote about the restoration process, and about the first sold-out concert that took place Saturday night. Here is a link:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/classic-music-ambitious-two-piano-concerts-on-friday-night-and-sunday-afternoon-celebrate-the-restoration-of-the-historic-steinway-1879-rosewood-concert-grand-piano-at-the-wisconsin-landmark-villa-lo/

And here is a link to Farley’s web site with more information:

http://farleyspianos.com/

Then at 7:30 p.m., with a pre-concert lecture at 6:45 p.m., the Amelia Piano Trio (below top) will perform works by the composers Smetana, Wieniawski and Shostakovich at the Green Lake Festival of Music in Green Lake, Wisconsin in the Thrasher Opera House (below bottom). Tickets are $25 and $10.

And here is a link to the more information about the Amelia Trio and the Green Lake Festival, including a schedule of events, ticket prices and reservations:

http://greenlakefestival.org/amelia-pianotrioprogram.htm

Finally, no one should forget that tonight at 7 p.m., the 80-voice Summer Choir (below)  that rehearses at the UW School of Music will perform its largely Baroque program, with early instruments, at the First United Congregational Church of Christ, across from Camp Randall. Admission is $8, $5 for seniors and students.

Here is a link to a previous story I did about the chorus that featured information from founder and director Ben Luedke:

https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/classical-music-news-madison-summer-choir-goes-baroque-this-year-holds-auditions-on-may-14-and-then-starts-rehearsals-on-may-21-with-a-free-performance-on-july-1/

And here is a link to the group’s website:

http://www.madisonsummerchoir.org/